Kaddar's
hands clenched, but he shut his mouth and gritted his teeth; they could see his
jaw muscles twitch. The emperors boat hung in the air for a few more moments,
then descended slowly. Except for sailors passing on orders, no one aboard said
a word. Only when they were safely in the River Zekoi again did Kitten release
the prince s leg.
The
red-robed mages who had brought them downriver were replaced by four new, fresh
masters. They clapped in unison and were bowing their heads when a ringing
sound, like a gong being struck, shattered the air. It was followed by another,
and another, and another. It sounded, Daine realized, like a horse s walk.
The air
around the harbormaster's tower was glowing. From the emperors frown, this was
not part of his planned entertainment.
The
clanging drew nearer. Around the towers side and down the shortest breakwater,
enclosed in a loose ball of light, appeared a golden rider on a golden horse.
The clanging sound came from the animal's hooves as they struck the boulders.
Together rider and mount were twice, nearly three times larger than normal.
Both slumped, as if stricken with weariness or grief, the horse's muzzle barely
a foot off the ground. The sword and shield that the man held drooped from his
hands.
"Goddess
bless," whispered Kaddar. All around them hands made the Sign against
evil.
Do
two-leggers grow so big? asked Zek, awed.
"No,"
Daine whispered. "That's not a two-leg-ger. Zek was asking," she
explained when Kaddar and Varice looked at them.
"Its
a statue" Varice replied softly. "Of—of Zernou, the first emperor. It
stands in Market Square, in Carthak City, before the Temple of Mithros."
"I
don't think its standing there anymore," Alanna commented from the shadows
nearby.
Horse
and rider reached the lock between the imperial boat and the harbor, and
stopped. The horse reared, pawing the air with his forelegs. The rider cried
out a word in a voice like a giant gong. Again he cried out. The third time, he
shouted words in a strange, guttural language. He pointed to their vessel with
his sword. Instantly magical defenses went up, forming walls of light between
those onboard and the statue, but no attack came.
The
horse gathered itself and leaped, clearing the lock, to land on the seawall on
the far side with a ringing crash. Horse and rider galloped down the wall,
striking sparks from the granite boulders. Just before they reached the
lighthouse, the glowing figures leaped off onto the oceans surface, and raced
across it, dodging the naval vessels and heading north. Daine watched in
silence as the glow that surrounded them faded, and was gone.
"What
did he say?" Varice asked Kaddar, voice hushed. "It was Old Thak,
wasn't it? The first language of the empire?"
"He
said 'Woe.'" The princes voice was quiet and even. "And 'Woe.' Then
he said, 'Woe to the empire—we are forsaken. The gods are angry!'"
In her
dream, she glided down a green river in a flat-bottomed barge, a silly,
overdecorated affair painted yellow and white. A dainty yellow awning kept off
the sun overhead. A rat offered her a white straw tray filled with a choice of
small tatfs. Two more rats slowly waved huge fans made of black feathers.
Looking around, the girl saw vultures perched on the forward rail.
"Don't
worry, child. I may not even need you." The Graveyard Hag reclined in the
straw-and-white striped cushions next to Daine, choosing tidbits from the tray
held for her by yet another rat. These appeared to be made of worms, beetles,
fungi, and moss.
Daine
shuddered. The food being offered to her
seemed
normal enough, but she decided not to take a chance. "No, thank you,"
she told the rat serving her. "I'm not at all hungry." He waddled
away, awkward on his hind legs.
"It's
quite possible Ozorne will heed the three warnings." The Hag chewed
noisily, .her mouth open. "Still, here you are, the perfect vessel, should
I need one. I wanted to give you the power, just in case. Give you a little
time to practice, to get used to it."
"Won't
someone else do? I'm supposed to behave myself here. And don't you already know
if he'll listen to your warnings? You're a god, after all"
The Hag
crackled, spraying food on the cushions. "You are a funny thing! No, a
vessel for a god s power can't be just anyone."
"Is
it because my da really is a god, like the Banjiku said?"
"No,
or we'd have even fewer vessels than we do now. Most mortal women die giving
birth to a god's child, for your information. No, for a vessel we need a mortal
with imagination, a strong will, and determination. And anger—plenty of
it."
"I'm
not angry."
"Nonsense,
dear. Think of your mothers death. Think of how you were treated in that awful
village you came from."
Daine
looked down at her hand. The goddess's words had awakened memories of those
times, as fresh as when she'd lived through them. For a moment she actually
knelt beside Mas body, feeling how cold she was. Memory flickered: she was
shivering, naked, running, the village hunters close behind, calling her name.
As if
she'd spoken, the Hag said, "Well, there you are." Briskly she wiped
her fingers on the cushions. "And no, I can't tell if he'll attend to the
warnings or not. We can see ahead a bit, but not far, and not when the events
concerned will create so much change. Ozorne's choice will determine the path
that history takes thereafter, which means it's like trying to see through mud.
You mortals have to make your own choices. We poor gods only get to come in and
straighten up after you choose."
Daine
raised skeptical brows. The goddess's self-pity was laid on a bit too thick.
"I'd no idea what a struggle it is for you."
"Oh,
you don't appreciate me. Just because you're a good vessel doesn't mean I'll
stand for your sauce! Back to bed with you!" The Hag flapped a hand.
Daine
sat bolt upright in bed. She was in her room in the imperial palace. Kitten and
Zek were grumbling at her. "Just a dream," she whispered, and sank
back onto her pillows.
Entering
the common room for breakfast, she saw only Alanna. "I got rid of the
servants," the Lioness said tiredly as she put food on a plate. "I
hope you don't mind. I can't deal with slaves, not today."
"Where's
Numair?" Daine asked, sitting down. "And Master Harailt?"
"In
their rooms, reading." Alanna handed the plate to Daine. "The
Carthakis have allowed us to see the spells that open gates into the Divine
Realms, but we aren't allowed to copy them, and we can't take them with us.
Harailt and Numair are memorizing as much of them as they can."
Daine
buttered a rolL "Where's the rest? Duke Gareth, and his son, and Lord
Martin?"
"Talks
won't start today until noon," explained the Champion with a yawn.
"If they have any sense, they'll sleep in. Same with the clerks."
"You're
not sleeping in," Daine pointed out,
"More
'rest' like I got last night and you'll find me atop some tower, baying at the
moon."
"Bad
dreams?"
Alanna
flicked her fingers at the room s corners. Purple fire raced to encircle them,
shutting out eavesdroppers. "Bad thinking," the Lioness said grimly,
peeling an orange with callused fingers, "Bad sights."
"What's
the matter?"
"Prince
Kaddar is right. Carthaks northern fleet is small—about thirty vessels. They
don't have many troop ships or war barges—they aren't necessary. This shore of
the Inland Sea is all theirs: none of the lands on our side have a navy worth
sweating over. They have the war barges and transports for men and horse on the
western coast, against Scanran raids, or trouble with the Copper Isles, or to
keep their southern holdings in line. They need those ships there,
unless—"
"Unless
he's got something for all of them to do," Daine said. "But—he's
going to sign a treaty with us! Nobody brings in the navy during peace talks,
do they?"
"If
we were actually having peace talks, no; but we bogged down yesterday."
She
remembered the Tusaine ambassadors remarks. "Fishing rights?"
"That,
and something else. We were told Ozorne wants Kaddar to marry Kalasin in the
spring and bring her here to live. No marriage agreement means no treaty, in
spite of the fact that he never mentioned a wedding when he and the king
arranged these talks."
Daine s
jaw dropped. "But she's only ten. Queen Thayet won't hear of a marriage
being set up till she's thirteen or fourteen!"
"I
think the emperor knows that, Daine." The woman looked tired, and older
than she had when they landed. "Look. Perhaps I'm being an alarmist,
but—he showed us that fleet for a reason, and he's pressing this marriage for a
reason. Be extra careful, understand? Watch your step. We may have to leave in
a hurry. Our permits to be here are good only so long as he says they
are."
She
explained everything to Zek and Kitten as she fed them and got ready to go. On
their way to meet Kaddar in the guest courtyard, she peered into Numairs room,
hoping for a word with him. Although the door was open, black fire sparkled in
the entrance. She could just see him through it, stretched out on the bed with
a book in front of his nose. Zek touched the fire and squeaked, yanking his paw
back.
Did
that hurt? Daine asked
No. It
was only strange. I don't think he wants to talk to anyone, though.
No,
probably not, she agreed
They
walked on, emerging into the morning sun in a yard where the guests who rode
came and went. Awaiting them was Kaddar, holding the reins of a pair of horses.
They
raced to the ferry landing, then crossed the broad river to Carthak City. Zek
burrowed into Daine s shirt once they boarded the ferry so that he wouldn't
have to look at the river that had nearly killed him. Kitten, sitting up in Daine's
saddlebag, observed with interest every sight that met her eyes.
At the
top of the far bank the capital stretched before them, avenues beckoning. To
their left stood a walled enclosure: the famed imperial university.
Humans,
afoot or mounted, passed through the gates in a stream.
Once
inside, they followed a paved avenue lined by handsome buildings
set on groomed lawns. Around her Daine saw
every human color in the world, from the blue-black of southern tribespeople to
the pale skins of the far north. Most wore over-robes of the same loose cut as
those worn by the mages, in a variety of colors. White robes, explained Kaddar,
plain or with colored trim, meant a novice in any program of study. Wide bands
of color at cuffs and hem meant the wearer was a journeyman in his course of
study. Solid-colored robes indicated mastery;
trim
on
a
solid-colored
robe
meant advanced mastery. Daine simply
enjoyed the human scenery as they rode down the avenue.
"That's
it," Kaddar said, pointing to the large five-tiered building that
straddled the avenue. Tall, graceful columns painted a deep blue were arranged
across the front of the ground floor, their bases and capitals gilded and
bright in the sun. "Lindhall's study and workrooms are there."
Hostlers
took Kaddar's mare, Westwind, and Daine's gelding. Something about them was
strange, Daine realized, and about the gardeners who trimmed the grass and
bushes along the avenue. Stretching her legs, she puzzled out what it was: all
of them had hair. "Kaddar, aren't there any slaves here?"
"None
inside the university complex. The academics won't allow it. Too many
northerners teach here, and they aren't comfortable with slaves."